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Mya Stanberry

Junior Ruby Massie fights for the ball surrounded by Orono Jan. 10. Park then got control over the ball.

With the win against Orono Jan. 10, the girls’ basketball team is confident in moving forward, but wants to maintain a strong focus on bettering their game, according to assistant coach Chris Nordstrom. He said the team needs to work on becoming more consistent and staying intense.

“One thing we preach is consistency. We play one half where we are determined and focused on the game and that’s really good,” Nordstrom said. “We want to find a way to lengthen that and play two halves that are really good, starting with a half and a half and building up to one and a half halves. Being consistent for long periods of time is key.”

Following the game, Park left with a 2 game win streak. According to senior Stayci Spates, performances in these games are largely dependent on sticking to the game plan. She said that listening to the coaching staff is crucial when it comes to playing to win and keeping up the intensity.

“During the game, we just listened to our coach. He’s tough on us sometimes, but it’s all for love. He wants us to succeed,” Spates said. “We listen to what he says and take that feedback, and we bring it back to the court.”

According to Nordstrom, despite the focus of the team, the game was still pretty up and down and scores changed drastically as the game progressed. Nevertheless, the team pulled through.

“It definitely was a tale of two halves. In the first half, we just really struggled defensively. After that, we were in lockdown,” Nordstrom said. “So, that was the focus at halftime and we came out of Hell with the 17 points, which gave us a chance to get back in and eventually, gave us the win.”

According to sophomore Maisie Carlson, communication is key and is a constant with the team. She expressed that as the team communicates with and uplifts each other, they go on to the court confident and play their hardest to win the game.

“The game went really well,” Carlson said. “As a team, collectively talking about our performances and hyping each other up — just talking about how we can step up and go out there, play hard, and win — is what makes the game.”

Park girls’ basketball is now at a record of 6-4. The next home game for the girls’ basketball will be 7 p.m. Jan. 27 against Chanhassen.